


Figured It Out

by carissima



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Boyfriends, Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Homophobic Language, Just once though, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 08:25:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carissima/pseuds/carissima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's sad. Liam goes into protective mode and throws a punch. Damage limitation ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Figured It Out

**Author's Note:**

> I need to stop writing pretend boyfriends fics for these two. Really, it's an addiction. 
> 
> Come find me on [Tumblr](http://carissimali.tumblr.com/). I'm still taking prompts for [Lirry Christmas fics](http://carissimali.tumblr.com/post/63562173552/a-very-lirry-christmas).

Liam is pretty sure he went to sleep alone. He vaguely remembers collapsing on his bed and closing his eyes, and he doesn't remember anyone in the room and although he's been incredibly tired lately, he's almost certain that he'd remember if there were two people in his room when he fell asleep.

He can hear them talking before he opens his eyes, soothed by the soft cadence of their conversation. It takes him all of five seconds to realise that Louis and Harry have joined him. He's used to it by now, they all seek each other's company whenever they're stuck inside a hotel or they've got a problem that people outside the band can't understand. Even their band and crew, amazing as they are, don't understand the sheer level of crazy they deal with. So he does understand it, even when he gets annoyed when they wake him up or never leave even when he's making it as clear as he can that he needs some space.

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now," Harry says and from his muffled tones, Liam's pretty sure his head is buried in Louis' neck.

"Yeah," Louis says with a sigh. "Except it's not something you should have to get used to."

"I hate that it still gets to me," Harry says and Liam's almost ready to open his eyes and give him a hug because he sounds terrible.

"At least you never let them see that it does," Louis says and Liam can hear a note of pride in Louis' voice.

"Hey," Liam finally says, opening his eyes to find Harry lying next to him on the bed while Louis is sitting next to him on the edge. Harry's moved back but he'd obviously been holding onto Louis and Liam frowns. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry says quickly and flashes Liam a bright smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes. His dimples don't even engage.

Liam's frown deepens as he doesn't break eye contact with Harry. "Tommo?"

"Just some idiots shouting out offensive shit when Harry was out for lunch," Louis says.

Liam sees Harry shift to glare at Louis.

"What? We're in his room and we never lie to each other, band rule," Louis says reasonably. "You're the one who wanted to come into Liam's room, Harold."

Liam knows Harry sneaks into his room when he's feeling vulnerable about something. Liam might not always be able to help, and Harry might not always tell Liam what's wrong, but he's there, strong and steady. Louis has a tendency to want to storm out and take on the world, Niall feels the need to fill silence with jokes and Zayn sometimes disappears.

Liam sits up and moves closer to Harry, lifting his arm and wrapping it around him, bringing him closer and tucking him into his side. He sees Harry close his eyes and feels his arms wrap tightly around him.

"I'll leave you to it," Louis says, giving Liam a nod of approval before mouthing "talk to him!" at Liam, who just waves his hand to shoo Louis out.

"You want to talk about it?" Liam asks quietly when he hears the door close behind Louis.

"Not really," Harry sighs into Liam's shoulder. "Just the usual."

While Liam strokes Harry's arm soothingly and calmly, he can feel his temper rising. Harry is so good at pretending to the public that nothing bothers him, but Liam knows it affects Harry more than the rest of them. It's why Liam feels compelled, in most interviews, to repeat how scary and overwhelmed they get at the fans, how annoying and intrusive paparazzi can be, how hard it is to try to stay grounded when they have to be escorted everywhere and guarded in most situations. He knows he's coming across as ungrateful and whiny at the moment, but when he has to watch Harry fall apart or hear yet again how someone has yelled something abusive to Harry, he really doesn't care about his public image because this is more important. He knows he should probably follow Harry's example and keep quiet, never complain, but it's hard for him to just sit back and do nothing. It's never been his style.

He's heard the odd comment when they're out together. When camera flashes are going off constantly and they're all being shouted at by a hundred different voices, it's hard to isolate any particular question or person, but he hears them, sometimes. It's never really aimed at him, or Niall. Zayn gets some disgusting racial abuse that he pretends not to hear before he disappears for a week. Louis and Harry get more, simply because it's aimed at both of them. It's bad enough when they're being asked if they're in a relationship or about Larry, but the worst is when they get homophobic abuse.

Liam's seen Harry jerk and his face fall when he's heard it. He's seen Louis rushing Harry past and whispering for him to just ignore it. He's looked around to find the culprit but it's always impossible to unearth them.

Louis tends to keep himself to himself these days, not spending much time on Twitter or leaving the house. Every time it happens, he calls home and speaks to his mum or Eleanor and it helps.

Harry hates to spend any of the time he has with his family talking about anything negative though so the boys try to help him when they know he's upset by it all. And of course as the only gay member of One Direction, it hurts Harry on a different level to hear the abuse.

So Liam hugs him and whispers utter nonsense until Harry relaxes and starts to laugh and tease Liam for his terrible jokes and Liam knows he'll be okay. Until next time.

Three weeks later, they're heading out to a bar after their last show in Australia. Louis is leading the way, laughing to Zayn and they're both tugging Harry along, past the fans and paparazzi while Niall and Liam are following a bit behind, taking pictures with fans and Liam trying to stop Niall flirting quite so much.

Liam looks up to check how far they are behind when he sees Harry's face fall. Louis is tugging him harder, not looking anywhere but straight at the club and Liam knows it's happened again. He leaves Niall where he is and heads towards Harry when he hears it.

_"Faggot."_

It just so happens to be a paparazzi who's standing right next to where Liam has paused. He watches in slow motion as Harry jerks and looks up. Liam can see he's upset, despite the smile plastered across his face. He turns slowly and sees exactly who it is that's spoken. His mind clears, goes absolutely blank and Liam flashes back to all the horrible words thrown at him when he was a child. It all bubbles to the surface in a rush of pain and anger, he can feel his blood pumping in his veins and suddenly Liam's staring down at the guy who's sprawled out on the floor, blood gushing from his lip and there are shouts and screams and more flashes than Liam's ever seen before. He feels himself being pulled back and he can't even process what's happened until he's back in the car he'd only left a few minutes ago.

He only realises he's shaking when he feels Niall's hands on his own, a quiet "Steady, mate," being whispered in his ear.

Liam looks up and sees an equally shaky Harry opposite him, being held by Louis, who is whispering comforting words but Harry seems to be in his own private daze.

Zayn is talking furiously to Paul, who in turn is talking into his phone.

Liam looks back down at his hands, the ones clutching at Niall's, when he sees his bloody, skinned knuckles.

"Fuck," he whispers and yet it magnifies. Zayn stops talking, Paul lowers the phone, Louis stops whispering. Everyone looks at Liam and he just wants to disappear.

"That was a hell of a punch," Niall finally breaks the silence. "Flattened him in one."

"I just punched someone," Liam says shakily and he has to concentrate on inhaling because otherwise he's worried he'll forget to breathe. "Fuck, I just punched him."

"Creep deserved it," Louis says defensively, already looking back at Paul as if he expects an argument. "That was amazing, Liam and anyone who tells you different is a fucking idiot."

"Stupid idiot," Liam echoes quietly. He finally looks up to see Paul watching him and the blood drains from his face. "He's going to sue, isn't he? Fuck. I'm going to court, aren't I?"

"Let's just wait and see," Paul says reasonably but Liam can see the frustration in his face. "I'll sort it, don't worry Liam."

"Yeah, don't worry Liam," Louis repeats almost forcefully. He's still wrapped around Harry but he almost glares fiercely at Liam. "You aren't in the wrong."

Niall reaches around him and pulls Liam into his arms. Liam lets himself be pulled and lies there, closing his eyes so he doesn't have to see anyone. He can't stand the fear in Zayn's eyes or the pain in Harry's or the fierce emotion pulsating from Louis. He turns into Niall's chest and lets himself be comforted because he's just done something really stupid, like usual, and this time there's going to be very real consequences.

He zones out, not listening to any of the conversations around him until they're back at the hotel. Niall and Zayn crowd around him as soon as they step out and he's in the hotel before he can hear any of the shouts from the crowd. He's rushed up to Louis' room, because they've decided that he shouldn't stay in his own room and he definitely shouldn't be alone, so he's bundled onto one of the beds and Zayn has him cocooned before Harry and Louis rush in. Niall drags Harry onto the other bed, which leaves Louis to pace.

"What exactly happened?" Niall finally asks. Off Louis' look, he shrugs. "Hey, all I know is I was flirting with a fan and then Liam's standing over a guy he's just punched and we're all back in the car coming back here."

"Oh God," Liam moans into Zayn's shoulder and he feels his arms tighten. Liam has never felt so awful in his entire life and he can't even think clearly now.

"Some dickhead was yelling homophobic crap at me and Harry and I dragged Harry on but I think Liam heard and punched the guy," Louis says, glancing at Liam fondly with just a hint of exasperation.

"So fucking stupid," Liam mutters to himself.

"So fucking brave," Louis corrects, rushing over to Liam and pulling him up into his arms. "So fucking stupidly brave. Don't beat yourself up, Liam. I've been wanting to do it for years."

"But I'm the stupid fucking twat who punched a guy," Liam says slowly. "What if he presses charges?"

"Then I'm going to tell them exactly what he said, word for word and no judge will blame you," Louis says angrily. "And if management try to punish you, well, I'd just like to see them try."

"Oh God what are they going to say?" Liam buries his head into Louis and feels like crying.

"Liam," Zayn reaches over and puts his hand on his shoulder. "We're all on your side, on this one. We won't let you deal with this alone."

Liam wishes he found Zayn's words more comforting but he knows this is all on him. This is his burden to bear, his punishment to accept.

When Paul comes in and tries to take Liam out to have a private word, Louis stands between them and refuses to let Paul take him.

"Louis, it's okay, really," Liam says quietly, placing his left hand on Louis' shoulder and squeezing tightly. "I'll be right back, I promise."

With a huff, Louis steps aside and Liam follows Paul out into the corridor and into Liam's room.

"I'm so sorry," Liam says immediately and words just tumble out of his mouth in fear. "I can't believe I was so stupid and I don't know what I was thinking but he was saying these _things_ to Harry and I just lost it and please don't kick me out of the band Paul, I'll do anything, I'll say anything just don't-"

Paul's hand over Liam's mouth finally has him shutting up.

"Liam, chill," Paul barks gruffly. "No one is kicking you out of the band. Don't be stupid. They're trying to work out a strategy for this but they're behind you. The pap is in hospital getting his mouth seen to but it doesn't seem like he's going to press charges because he's in enough trouble for saying what he said. We'll know more in the morning but I want you to stop worrying and try to relax."

Liam can't relax and Paul knows that, but Liam appreciates it anyway. He sits on his bed and listens to the door closing behind Paul.

He idly wonders how much time he'll have to himself before the boys realise he's on his own.

When the door creaks open, Liam figures he had at least 30 seconds to himself.

He looks up to see Harry standing by the door, looking awkward. Liam figures Harry probably hates him because the worst thing any of them can ever do is react to taunts. It just brings attention to them.

"Harry," Liam says before pausing because his voice just broke a little and he focuses on a spot on the wall in front of him while he tries again. "Harry, I'm so, so, so sorry."

Harry moves a little closer.

"You probably hate me and I don't blame you, because I'm a stupid fucking idiot but I just lost it," Liam says slowly. "I should have ignored him but I just kept thinking about all the times you get sad and I lost my temper. I'm so fucking stupid."

"You're not stupid," Harry says languidly. "Liam, look at me."

Liam eventually raises his head and looks at Harry, bracing himself.

"Liam, you're the stupidest, most amazing person ever," Harry says firmly before he walks forward and sits next to Liam, forcing Liam to maintain eye contact. "Yes, it was stupid but it was also sort of amazing, you know?"

Liam lets out a long breath and finds himself with a lapful of Harry, who carefully pushes Liam back against the bed so that he can curl up against Liam. Once he's comfortable, Harry wraps one his long legs around Liam's and lets his hand rest on Liam's chest, drawing lazy circles against it.

Liam finds it incredibly soothing and he finally starts to relax, lying on his bed with Harry entwined around him.

"You're the best, Li," Harry murmurs after a while.

"You want to stand up in court and say that?" Liam jokes but he's only half-kidding.

"He won't press charges," Harry says confidently and Liam breathes just a little easier every time someone says it.

They drift into their own thoughts until Liam breaks the silence with something he can barely bring himself to say. "You know I've just made things a million times worse for you with the press and the fans. When they find out why I punched him, I mean."

"Yeah," Harry murmurs. "Oh well."

"I'm serious, Haz," Liam says with a frown.

"Li, I've been trying to convince management to let me come out since the beginning, you know that," Harry points out and finally lifts his head to look at Liam with a smile. A real one. "Maybe now they'll let me."

Liam laughs a little shakily as he presses a kiss against Harry's curls. "Hopefully some good will come out of this then."

"I think a lot will," Harry says and Liam thinks it's mostly wishful thinking. Management will never let Harry come out until the band breaks up. And no good will come of this for him, because he's going to get lots of shit on Twitter and in the press, as per usual, but that's nothing compared to how his parents are going to kill him and there's still the small worry that he'll get kicked out of the band for criminal activity or something.

Before he drops off to sleep, Harry is pulling him up and pushing him towards the bathroom where they both brush their teeth and they strip to their boxers before crawling back into the same position they were in earlier.

"Thanks for looking after me Li," Harry says quietly into the dark.

"Same," Liam whispers back and Harry curls around him a bit tighter before they both fall into restless sleeps.

Liam wakes up to a media frenzy. Louis is jumping on the bed, waking both of them up and showing Liam the headlines across the internet, Twitter and even tumblr, suggesting that Liam punched the paparazzi because he's in a relationship with Harry and all along the Larry showmance was to distract from the real romance between Payne and Styles.

Liam just blinks slowly while even Harry is unable to speak.

"Management are going to kill me," is all Liam can vocalise. "They're going to kick me out of the band."

"No way in hell," Louis says with a grin. "If they kick you out, I'm going to make out with Niall in Trafalgar Square and they can kick us out too."

"Louis," Niall says slowly. His eyes are shining and Liam suddenly feels very afraid. "That's fucking genius."

"Wait, what?" Louis frowns because he has no idea what he just said but he's always happy to be rightfully adored.

"Just as a backup though," Niall mutters as he heads out the door.

"Wait, Niall, what the hell are you going on about?" Louis yells after Niall as he follows him out of the room.

Before Liam can process what Niall's talking about, Paul is striding in and barely pays attention to Liam and Harry mostly naked in bed together. "Harry, they're talking about letting you come out to the press."

Liam turns to see Harry's mouth dropping open as he stares at Paul. Liam's grinning finally because this really is good news and he's hugging Harry and whooping.

"You mean it?" Harry asks, his voice a little wobbly.

Paul nods and lets himself smile a little. "They just don't know what to do about Liam yet. But before you panic, they aren't kicking you out, like I told you last night."

"Wait, was that - are you really worried about that?" Harry spins round to stare at Liam who just looks miserable. "You are stupid, Liam Payne. Paul, just let me release a statement or something and I'll explain that Liam punched that idiot because I'm gay and Liam was standing up for me."

"Yeah, that's not really going to work because it'll just take the whole relationship rumours into overdrive," Paul explains apologetically.

"What's the problem with that?" Louis asks. No one had paid attention to when he'd snuck back in.

"If you thought the Larry stuff was bad, wait until there's confirmation of Harry's sexuality combined with Liam laying out paps," Paul says with a sigh.

"Niall had this plan to have all of us pretending to be in one big gay band," Louis says idly and he's grinning as Paul rolls his eyes. "It was pretty stupid but then, we're stupid and we'd do anything for King Payno of Stupidsville over there."

Liam flushes because within the insults is a massive compliment.

"But why not just let them think Liam and Harry are together? What difference does it make? The problem before was that management didn't want anyone to know Harry was gay. If the world is going to find out that he likes boys, then what's the problem, especially because they can spin the punch better if Liam was defending his boyfriend." Louis asks. "As soon as Harry comes out, they'll start speculating anyway."

"That's true," Harry says with a weary smile. "There's no avoiding it."

"I don't mind if they think we're together," Liam says slowly, smiling at a surprised Harry. "I mean, if that's what's going to cause the least amount of trouble for everyone for me punching that guy. We could date for a bit, then we amicably split and Harry can actually date out in the open for once."

Paul frowns at them. "I'll run it past management."

He's off immediately and Louis just winks at them both before disappearing.

"God, I'm so sorry Haz," Liam says in frustration. "You finally get to come out and you lumbered with an idiot fake boyfriend like me."

"Liam, you really are the stupidest, most adorable boy in the whole world," Harry says, reaching out to rub his head fondly. "You have to pretend to be gay for like, a few weeks and _you're_ apologising to _me_?"

"Well you've had to pretend to be straight for three years," Liam points out earnestly. "A few weeks of being your boyfriend is nothing compared to what you've been doing."

Harry stares at Liam like he can't quite believe he exists. "Liam, if I was going to have any fake boyfriend, I'd pick you every time. You're incredible, you know that?"

"Not really," Liam smiles up at him. "But at least now I can look after you for a few weeks, make sure it's not too rough on you. We can like, go on pretend dates and you can stay at mine or I can stay at yours and it means you don't have to face the press alone, yeah?"

Harry makes an odd noise and dives into Liam's lap, pressing soppy kisses all over his face that make Liam flush and wriggle as he tries to escape Harry's over-exuberance. "I love you, Li."

"Love you too, Haz ... get off me."

When the announcement is made, the five of them are sat together in Louis' room. Liam has his back against the headboard and has Harry between his legs, lying against his chest. Zayn is next to Liam, holding his hand while Louis and Niall are wrapped up together by Harry's feet, both of them with their hands on Harry's legs while Niall tries to follow what's going on Twitter and Zayn is monitoring news sites.

Harry's already warned friends and family and then turned off his phone. Liam's phone is in his hand but every time he tries to check it, Zayn glares at him.

As expected, the media run with the most sensational headlines they can come up with. Twitter explodes and Harry is in every single trend worldwide. There's a lot of smug posts about knowing it all along, a lot of posts with girls going crazy and threatening harm to themselves and others that they all skip over because they can never deal with that side of fame and there are a hell of a lot of positive, supportive comments, posts and articles.

"Well, it's done now," Louis says matter-of-factly. "Guess it's time to go home and face the music, eh boys?"

They laugh weakly at the pun but all disappear to grab their bags and face the world outside.

As they wait by the hotel door, Liam grabs Harry's hand, squeezes tight and doesn't let go, even when they're being ushered to their cars one by one. Liam just holds on and security amends their plans and push them into the same car. They don't even see the sea of faces outside or hear their shouts before they're pulling away to the airport. They're kept away from the public as they board their plane and Liam pulls Harry into the seat next to him, lowering the armrest so that he can pull Harry close to him after takeoff and they snuggle together for the long flight home.

"You ready for this?" Harry asks as they get ready to disembark at Heathrow.

"Nothing to be ready for," Liam says as Harry laces his hand through Liam's. "I already love you, we already touch all the time, we already spend most of our time together. The only difference is how people perceive it."

"You know, you're incredibly smart sometimes," Harry says with a little smile as he reaches forward to smack a kiss onto Liam's cheek. He laughs when Liam flushes. "And adorable when you blush. You should do that more."

"Come on," Liam yanks him forward with a fond roll of the eyes and they're again rushed past everyone to their car.

They've already arranged to go to Harry's house because it's more private and when they get there, Liam's half asleep from jetlag and Harry has to practically carry him to bed.

In the morning, Liam heads out to grab coffee and poses happily for fans, all of whom tell him that they're so happy that he and Harry are together and can finally admit their love for one another.

All Liam can say is that Harry is great and they're very happy. It's hardly a lie and it's the best he can do at the moment. He gets coffee and heads home without bumping into anyone else and he tells Harry all about it.

"Let's go out together tonight," Harry says excitedly. "Like a proper date!"

"Okay, but only if you pay," Liam teases and Harry grins.

"Of course," he says. "But only if you dress up nicely."

"Okay, but only if you take me someplace real nice," Liam returns, enjoying the game.

"I'll take you someplace nice if you take me shopping tomorrow," Harry says.

"Okay, okay," Liam holds up his hands laughing. "I'll take you shopping. And any other date you want to go on in the next two weeks. But we have to go to mine at some point, yeah?"

So begin their dates. Liam and Harry are seen everywhere together, holding hands and laughing, spending time together and with their friends. The paparazzi follow them everywhere and the internet explodes with sightings and fanfiction and blogs and memes.

When Paul calls them two weeks later and tells them management have settled with the paparazzi Liam punched and that they are delighted with how everything is going, Liam and Harry high five each other. When Paul tells them that management want them to continue their relationship indefinitely and gently puts down the phone so that they can discuss it, Harry and Liam just stare at each other in shock.

"Well, that was unexpected," Harry says slowly.

"No way," Liam says firmly. Harry glances up and frowns. "Hey, no, stop it. Not because I hate being your fake boyfriend or anything, stop thinking that. I mean, you've waited forever to date openly and now when everyone finally knows about you, you're going to be stuck with me as like, some weird non-beard beard or something, is there even a name for this arrangement?" Liam wonders out loud.

"Liam, relax," Harry says, reaching out to place his hand on Liam's thigh and he stops automatically. "It's actually fine. I don't mind."

"I mind," Liam says gruffly. Mostly he minds because he's found it all too easy to spend all his time with Harry, holding hands and grinning stupidly at each other, going on dates and gazing longingly into Harry's eyes. Liam tries to tell himself that it's because it's just an extension of their relationship anyway, being that they're so close already, but everyday it gets a little bit harder to convince himself of that. At least he managed to persuade Harry that they really didn't need to share a bed because that would probably have led to some seriously awkward waking up moments.

"Come on, it's not so bad dating me is it?" Harry asks, moving closer and snuggling into Liam's lap.

Liam tries to think innocent thoughts.

"Perhaps it'll all blow over in a month or two and then you can go back to Funky Buddha and let some girls try to turn you straight," Harry teases and Liam laughs because Harry expects him to but it's a little forced and a completely repellent thought.

"Okay," Liam says with a sigh. "Call Paul and tell him that we'll do it for another month. But you have to take me bowling tonight, okay?"

"Deal," Harry says, jumping up from Liam's lap and grabbing the phone, wandering off to the kitchen to make the call.

Harry's rented out an entire bowling alley for them and he's invited the rest of the boys to join them, so Liam's pretty euphoric. There's no paparazzi and only a few staff around, but Liam and Harry are so used to playing a couple that it's not odd for them when Liam cuddles Harry when it's Niall's turn. It's fairly standard behaviour when Harry runs over to jump up at Liam when he hits a strike and Liam falls backwards, laughing with Harry on top of him.

The other lads just grin and roll with it because there's something pretty adorable about the two of them and if they haven't figured it out yet, then it'll be all the more fun for the three of them to watch Harry and Liam fumble around each other until they figure it out.

It's not until a week later when they head out of Liam's flat to go grab coffee, ignoring the few members of the paparazzi still following them and posing for fans when Harry hands over Liam's coffee that Liam leans over and unthinkingly presses a kiss against Harry's mouth and mumbles a thank you while he opens the lid and pours in sugar, stirring it carefully.

"Uh, Li?" Harry says, laughter in his voice as Liam looks up questioningly. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Did I pour too much sugar in?" Liam asks, glancing back at his coffee with a frown.

"No," Harry drags out the word and just laughs to himself. "Never mind."

Liam notices Harry giving him odd looks throughout the day but he just figures Harry's in one of his weird moods.

They head out for dinner and Liam spends most of the night trying to figure out where the paparazzi are or who is watching them because Harry flirts madly throughout the whole meal, sharing food and reaching for Liam's hand all the time. He even plays footsie with him under the table and by the end of the meal, Liam's beyond worked up. He's just wondering if he can get away with suggesting that he goes home and they spend the night apart because he's about ready to explode when they step out of the restaurant and Harry spies a paparazzi. Before Liam can even blink, Harry cups the back of his head and drags him forward to press his lips against Liam's.

Liam can barely think when Harry's mouth is on his. His lips are warm and soft and Liam can't help it if he wraps his arms around Harry and tugs him gently forward. If he lets his lips nibble slightly on Harry's and he hears Harry moaning a little, it's hardly his fault then if he starts to lick into Harry's mouth and if one of his hands buries itself into Harry's hair while the other rests on his hip and presses in hard, enjoying the slow moan Harry makes against his mouth, then it's only because it's part of the whole act.

And when Harry pulls back with a stupid grin on his face, Liam can't help the idiotic grin that he's wearing because it's expected.

"Home?" Harry says, and if his voice is a bit huskier and it drives Liam a little crazy with want, then it's just one of those things.

But when they're halfway home and Harry pulls Liam into a deserted doorway on an empty street and latches onto his mouth, it's a bit harder to convince himself this is just an act. Liam figures he should really play along in case anyone does appear so he pushes Harry back against the door and kisses him back, locking his fingers into Harry's empty belt loops and letting his thumbs sneak up and stroke the skin above Harry's hips. When Harry moans, Liam just smiles against his mouth and strokes a bit harder and pushes a bit closer, letting their legs entangle and sliding his lips against Harry's.

"Li," Harry moans and Liam trails his lips across Harry's jawline, smiling when he feels Harry shiver against him. "Li, let's go home."

"Okay," Liam agrees as he pulls Harry towards him and grabs his hand, pulling him along as he jogs down the street. "Race you?"

"No fair," Harry protests with a laugh as he follows, his competitive nature kicking in. "You're like a professional runner!"

Liam just laughs but he beats Harry home by a good two minutes. Harry pulls up, panting but laughing and collapses onto Liam, forcing him to hold him up.

"Did you know that you kissed me earlier when we got coffee?"

Liam grimaces as Harry slots his key into the lock and lets them in. And he wonders if his urge to punch the idiot yelling abuse at Harry was an urge to protect his friend or because there was something deeper there all along. God he was stupid.

"So I figured it was only fair to kiss you tonight, properly," Harry continues as he grabs Liam's hand and tugs him upstairs. "Turns out you're as good at kissing as you are at being my boyfriend."

"Huh," is all Liam can manage as Harry pushes him into Harry's bedroom and pushes him onto the bed.

"So maybe we should discuss whether you want to go to Funky Buddha and let a pretty girl turn you straight," Harry murmurs as he climbs over Liam and straddles his hips, looking down at his band mate, green eyes dancing with amusement.

"Maybe you should be a good boyfriend and just shut up," Liam suggests as he reaches up to cup the back of Harry's head and pulls sharply so that Harry falls against him and he presses his lips against Harry's and grinds his hips a little. "Yeah?"

Harry grins and bites Liam's bottom lip before kissing it better. "Yeah."


End file.
